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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. suit — in cards
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. present — a gift
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. file — a tool
  8. suit — clothes
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cold — not warm
  14. suit — to fit
  15. present — there
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. file — a line of people
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. present — the time now
  23. hand — help
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com